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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24261862">Half a Life</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/misguidedmalfoy/pseuds/misguidedmalfoy'>misguidedmalfoy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst, Anxiety Disorder, Based On a Christina Perri Song, Draco Malfoy Has Issues, Draco Malfoy Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Harry Potter Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions, Mind Healers (Harry Potter), Original Character(s), POV Harry Potter, POV Third Person, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Psychologists &amp; Psychiatrists, References to Depression, Roommates, Suicidal Draco Malfoy, oh my god they were roommates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:48:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,363</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24261862</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/misguidedmalfoy/pseuds/misguidedmalfoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry can't pretend he's alright anymore, and he finds himself in one of the new Mind Healing Institutions enacted after the war. He has an unexpected roommate, a certain blond who isn't quite alright himself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>91</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. sectumsempra</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>here it is: my first multi chapter fic on ao3!<br/>please be warned that this fic will include references to mental health and to implicit self harm, so please proceed with caution if these topics may trigger you!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was late at night when Harry checked in, holding nothing but a jumper and a book Hermione had offered, saying it might help in his endeavor to get better. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He said nothing when the ward staff walked him to a room, told him he’d be rooming with another patient. They said they knew it wasn’t ideal, but he didn’t protest. He wanted nothing more than to just go to sleep. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Potter?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry shook himself out of his stupor, and to his surprise, he found Draco Malfoy sprawled across his mattress in the second bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Malfoy,” Harry said, squinting in the dim light to see if it was actually the Slytherin’s voice he’d heard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The nurse confirmed his suspicions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Malfoy, I apologize for the late night interruption, but you’re currently our best choice for Mr. Potter’s roommate. Things will be better worked out in the morning and a change can be arranged if necessary.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco nodded respectfully, and Harry continued to stare, still dumbstruck by the sudden reappearance of who he’d once called his arch enemy nearly six years previous. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry notices at once that Draco is not at all what he remembers him to be. His hair is longer, his face paler, he appears to be thinner, and there’s no ignoring the blotchiness staining his usually porcelain features. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The nurse bids Harry a good night, and reminds him that he’ll be properly evaluated in the morning and to try and get some sleep. Harry sits down on the empty bed, stiff and unacclimated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco is staring at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Never thought I’d see the golden boy in the nutter house,” Draco says, and immediately, memories of Hogwarts rush back. Without thinking twice, Harry immediately snaps back defensively, “Shut up, Malfoy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco briefly raises his eyebrows, but says nothing in response. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you here, Malfoy?” Harry says, looking Draco over. He supposes Draco can't be in a much better state than his own, and he isn’t exactly surprised. How well could a person do after living with Voldemort in their home for two years? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I get the feeling you already know the answer given the way you’re staring at me,” Draco mutters, picking at the threads on his bedsheets before turning to Harry with a question of his own. “The real question is, what are you doing here, Potter?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry hadn’t heard from or about Draco Malfoy since the Slytherin narrowly escaped Azkaban. He’d all but disappeared off the face of the earth and Harry envied him. He’d been plagued with media attention nonstop since last May. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was January now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a miserable Christmas and a depressing New Years, he’d decided perhaps he’d go somewhere the media couldn’t follow, somewhere he could find some sense in the melting pot of grief and emotions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was tired. Tired of the panic, tired of the cameras in his face, tired of the anger. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So he’d resigned himself to an inpatient facility Hermione found after he confessed his troubles to the two people who had always been there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Potter?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry looked up, and Draco had an eyebrow cocked with a look of inquiry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I got tired of feeling like shit,” Harry says bluntly, unwilling to give Draco a reason to irritate him. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to tolerate it for long. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was perfectly fine feeling like shit, but my dear mother was not.” Draco’s tone is clearly sarcastic, but Harry is deterred by his expression. There’s something about his gaze, the way his eyes look so… stormy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wonders if Draco’s been crying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s reminded of a scenario from nearly three years ago. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Sectumsempra.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Images flash before his eyes in a blurry whirlwind. He hears Draco crying, the sound of the faucets running after the sinks are broken. The feeling of his wand, gripped tightly in his hand. Moaning Myrtle screaming. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fingers snap in front of his face, and Draco is suddenly only a foot away. Not sixth year Draco. Real Draco. Present Draco. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry has to remind himself where he is before focusing on the face now suddenly very close to his. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco is squinting at him like he’s a strange creature, and Harry frowns. “What?” he snaps, allowing the deep rooted anger towards Malfoy to replace the emptiness left in the wake of a painful flashback. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You started to stare off into the void. And as interesting as I’ve found the void to be, it was getting odd,” Draco says with a smirk and walks back to his own bed. Harry notices that Malfoy is more brittle and boney than he's last seen him, and he feels the slightest twinge of worry. Though, Harry is well aware that he’s become rather thin as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm.” Harry pulls his gaze away from Draco.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The room is quiet. Draco hasn’t made a sound since he returned to his bed, and Harry can’t find it in himself to speak. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He keeps asking himself the same question again and again in his head: “Is this a mistake?” Should he have stayed home, tried to work this out for himself?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he can’t forget Ron’s face when he saw Harry at his worst just after Christmas. It had been after a panic attack he couldn’t hide, on an evening where he’d had just enough to drink to make him vulnerable. He’d institutionalize himself again if it meant he never had to see the sadness on his best friend’s face from that night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Harry’s mind returns to the present situation, he looks back over to Draco’s bed to find him asleep, or at least, he appears to be. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry’s fatigue begins to return, and he finally finds it within himself to unmake the bed and try to sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He isn’t quite sure why he hesitated for so long; as soon as his head reaches the pillow, he slips into a restless sleep.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No one can help me…”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>His shoulders shook. The weight of the world rested on his shoulders.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But he wasn’t alone. He was vulnerable, exposed.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He heard the curse being shouted at him from a few feet away.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sectumsempra!”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>He landed in the puddles of water gathering on the floor, and everything spun around him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pain shot through his body, he felt as though he was being torn apart.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>This was the end, the world began to fade around him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He felt himself slipping out of consciousness...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>“Get the bloody fuck away from me!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry awoke to commotion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Draco pinned to the floor by a nurse. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry noticed immediately that a nurse was holding what looked to be a lighter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Where the hell did Draco get a lighter?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leave me alone! I wasn’t going to do anything with it,” Draco tried to reason, and Harry could hear the rising hysteria in Draco’s voice. He’d never sounded so desperate, not since sixth year... </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry fought hard against the memory that threatened to swallow him whole. He needed to figure out what was going on now, he needed to be present. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What were you planning on doing? I need your honesty,” The nurse holding Draco down said carefully, and he fought hard to try and escape. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing! I wasn’t going to do anything!” Draco’s voice broke and Harry saw tears stream down his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t have it if you were going to do nothing with it. This is contraband, Mr. Malfoy—“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop calling me that! I’m not my father, stop it, just stop,” Draco sobbed, trying desperately to yank his wrists free. Harry saw the dark mark on Draco’s arm as his sleeve rode up, and saw, with a twist in his stomach, that it was marked with more than one scar. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Draco. Please calm down, and tell me the truth. You weren’t planning to harm your roommate, were you?” The nurse asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry felt anger surge through his veins; he may have been wrong, but his instincts told him this question was likely because Draco was a former Death Eater. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco had apparently come to the same conclusion, and it was enough to break him. He’d begun to cry so hard he was taking big gasps of air in between each sob. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No! I’m not like that, I wouldn’t hurt him, I don’t hurt people, I can’t, I—“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco began to retch as if he were about to be sick, clearly overwhelmed by everything that was happening. It was enough to trigger one of the nurses to administer a sedative Harry hadn’t seen her holding. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry watched as Draco slowly went still and quiet was helped back into bed. He was still crying, but his hysteria had immediately flooded out of his system. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I wouldn’t hurt him. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry met Draco’s eyes, and gave him a pathetic excuse for a smile. Draco merely blinked in response and turned away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The nurses apologized to Harry for the commotion, but Harry merely shook his head. He didn’t mind. It wasn’t Draco’s fault. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as the door was closed, Harry sat up and tossed his spare jumper over to Draco’s bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something to hold, yeah?” Harry said. He knew it was a poor attempt at comfort, but he wasn’t sure what else to offer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco pulled the jumper against his chest. He said nothing, but a nod was enough for Harry to understand the gesture. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry shifted onto his back, wide awake after all he’d seen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was the side of Draco Harry had seen that day in sixth year. It was the flip side of the facade, the truth behind the Malfoy mask of emotionless arrogance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing it again made Harry’s stomach hurt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly, the sound of Draco’s quiet sobs began to fade away as the blonde fell asleep. Harry knew he should be asleep as well, but he couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes and try to relax. Images of the incident looped over and over again in his mind.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A blur of memories, old and new, swirled through his head as he closed his eyes and wished for sleep to come. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Scared, Potter?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's visiting day, and Harry and Draco's relationship has gone back to what it always was.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi!! Thanks to everyone who's held on to this story, I've nearly finished my first year of undergrad and now is the first time i've had to continue this work. More to come sooner, hopefully!</p>
<p>As always, please note trigger warnings for mental health themes, brief non-graphic mentions of self-harm, and general sadness (because I'll be damned if I don't make all my characters miserable)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Draco woke early, though later than he usually found himself awake. The drowsiness from the draught of peace left him with no desire to move, and his gaze settled on the figure in the neighboring bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Immediately, the dread settled in and replaced the numbness he felt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Potter. Of course it was bloody Harry Potter that he had to share a room with, bloody Harry Potter that had to witness yet another breakdown that Draco had no control over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was humiliating. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco shifted onto his back, unwilling to look at the sleeping shape of the Chosen One. Stupid Potter who wouldn’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>stay out</span>
  </em>
  <span> of Draco’s life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He closed his eyes, willing his anger to fade away. He had enough to worry about; part of which had woken him after a swirl of stress filled dreams.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was visitor’s day. That meant another tear-filled visit from his mother, another heap of guilt added to his psyche. He wasn’t recovering fast enough, and his mother had to sit alone in the dark and cold manor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco clenched his jaw. The sun had barely risen, and he’d already begun to feel his chest tighten. They’d notice his vitals were higher when he was checked, and if he didn’t calm down, he’d be encouraged to have additional group therapy and his silence would not be tolerated. It would end in his lashing out and a punishment like his alone time being taken away. It had happened before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He takes a slow breath in, holds it for a moment, and lets it out. Perhaps he’d try those therapeutic techniques all the nurses were so mad for.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His fingers brushed over a soft sweater, and Draco was reminded yet again of last night. Potter had donated his jumper to the pathetic cause that Draco had become. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sitting up took a significant amount of his low physical strength. His head was spinning already, and his hands were shaking. Still, he shakily got to his feet and began a slow walk to the bathroom. He would splash water on his face and pull himself together before Potter or the nurses saw him at another low point. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking in the mirror did nothing to boost his confidence in his own ability to find a sense of calm. His hair was dishevelled, his eyes were puffy, and the dark bags under his eyes had only gotten worse. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Mother will only feel worse when she arrives and sees me</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” He thought, and his stomach turned over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco felt a rush of anger at himself, knowing full well he’d let himself become like this. He’d become the family disappointment all on his own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He slammed the sink faucet open, splashing cold water on his face before he could fall apart again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He returned to his room with a new sense of determination in pulling himself together. He’d compartmentalized his feelings before, he could do it now before someone got hurt from his selfishness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Potter sat awake in bed upon Draco’s return. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Malfoy,” Potter said, and Draco’s lip twitched at seeing the pity in Potter’s expression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco sneered and turned away, unwilling to give his new roommate further satisfaction at seeing him crumble. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He got back into bed and turned to face the wall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Er, Malfoy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of Potter’s voice grated against Draco’s ears. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Draco snapped, injecting as much venom as he could into his voice, hoping it would turn Potter away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When’s breakfast? They said they would explain in the morning, but--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco whipped around and glared. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s at seven. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck off.” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He grabbed Potter’s jumper and threw it back before returning to his sulking position facing the wall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Potter said nothing, and nor did Draco. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Draco’s anger did not subside as the day continued. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Potter was placed at his side during breakfast. Draco tried to argue, but the look he got from the head nurse told him that arguing was not in his best interest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Apparently it had been decided that perhaps Draco needed the company, and Potter needed some kind of familiarity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco wished he’d been part of the decision making. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He remained silent, making no attempt to acknowledge Potter and his perfect saviorness that drew so much unwanted attention. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was falling into what his therapist called a “thought hole.” He couldn’t stop imagining his mother and what her reaction would be and how he would have to react and how--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Malfoy?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It took Draco’s greatest efforts not to fly off the handle at the sound of Potter’s voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you want.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you alright?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“We are sitting at breakfast at seven a.m. in a mental institution. Make a guess as to how you think I am.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Potter went silent after that, and Draco hoped he’d finally shook Potter off. If he kept up with the in-character barrage of insults, maybe Potter would decide that “Malfoy would always be Malfoy and there’s no changing that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His stomach, however, turned over at the thought of being the person Potter knew him as. It made it easier to keep things at a distance between them, but it also reminded Draco of the past. The past that kept him up for nights, crying into his pillow and hating himself for it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Breakfast looked disgusting now, but he knew he’d be scolded if he didn’t get over himself and eat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He ate his breakfast in silence and clenched his fists in a weak attempt to abate the nausea. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Visiting hours were at nine. Therapy would come before, and Draco had a feeling he wouldn’t be let off the hook with a dismissive silence. Which meant his breakdown would be carefully examined and he would have to face it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If Potter hadn’t been lingering at his side, he thought he might've let out a few angry tears. But Potter was at his side, so a clenched jaw would have to do.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco was almost sure that he was going to vomit by the time he’d finished therapy. Healer Anderson had futilely attempted to ask about the night before, and question whether he’d picked up a new habit of self harm, but Draco was almost silent. The whole thing had felt like a guilt trip and he’d spent the last half hour of the session choking back tears while pretending everything was okay.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt like he hadn’t stopped pretending everything was okay since he was fifteen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was exhausted as he was led to the visiting room, but tried to straighten his posture for the sake of his mother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was early, as she always was, and her tired features lit up at the sight of him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Darling,” She said, immediately throwing her arms around him. Maybe it was because of the repressed tears he’d been fighting all morning, but it took less than thirty seconds for tears to escape his eyes and drip onto his mother’s cardigan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hadn’t cried in front of her since the first time he’d seen her after being admitted. Today, it was too much.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, love, I know,” she whispered, and he was sure he’d made her cry too. Merlin, today was just going swimmingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Missed you, mum,” He mumbled, trying vaguely to draw the subject away from his unavoidable tears. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I missed you too, dragon, how are you feeling?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The dreaded question.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tired today, but fine,” He offered, hoping that even if she could tell otherwise that it was enough to give her a bit of hope.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She pulled back and wiped his tears with her thumbs, giving him a smile. She was tired, he could see. Another stone of worry dropped into his stomach as he considered the very likely possibility that she wasn’t getting any sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I got you something, they cleared it for you to keep,” She said, and he watched with surprise as she took a book out of her purse. “It’s a muggle story, but I’ve found it’s really quite lovely.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He took it from her with a trembling hand and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The Phantom of the Opera</span>
  </em>
  <span> by Gaston Leroux. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The author’s French, I take it?” he asked, and his mother nodded. “Yes, dear. It’s a classic, beautifully written.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was sure he’d cry reading it if it meant something to her. He was dreadfully teary as of late, despite his deep hatred for vulnerability. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He leafed through the pages, deciding that he could likely finish it within one evening if he sat down and committed to it. A great distraction from his roommate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His roommate. Draco pondered telling his mother for a moment about the reentry of Potter into his life, but remembered that she often wept at the thought of how he’d saved their lives. The last thing he wanted to do is give her another reason to cry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry I can’t stay long today,” She said, and he looked up. She was leaving soon. His head was starting to pound. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you have plans?” He asked, knowing full well she wasn’t social like she used to be. To his relief, she nodded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mrs. Zabini has offered to take me to lunch, and I’ve got to find something slightly less dreadful to wear. I haven’t been to lunch in so long.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her features seemed to brighten at the thought, and he gave her the best smile he could draw up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ll look wonderful, mum. Really.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was the slightest blush in her cheeks, and she wrapped her arms around him again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you so much, Draco. Don’t you ever forget that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He closed his eyes and took a slow breath. If he was going to cry again, it would be alone. He had to hold on to his last reserves of emotional strength.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you too, mum. You aren’t to forget either.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He watched her leave, the book held tightly in his hands, and bit back tears. He would have to face Potter again soon, and Merlin-be-damned he would </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> give in to his instability again with the Golden boy in sight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you to marquelict, nachos_intolerant, and writingsbydestiny for your suggestions and ideas! <br/>chapter two will eventually be published, comments and kudos are always appreciated</p></blockquote></div></div>
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